How Peaky Blinders put Birmingham on the global movie map

It has kept audiences glued to their screens for more than a decade and now, with filming of the movie version about to get under way, the Peaky Blinders effect is set to go truly global.

And, with its creator Steven Knight setting up a studio in the heart of Birmingham, the smash-hit series has also helped put the city on the international map.

Knight, who’s now operating out of Digbeth Loc Studios, is also working with West Midlands mayor Richard Parker to open a new production office next year to win even more business from filmmakers.

The work comes after movies like Ready Player One, Mission: Impossible, Stan & Ollie and The Italian Job, all used Midlands locations in recent years.

“What we need to do is not only be there waiting for the call,” says Knight. “We need to be going out there and we need to be attracting productions which we haven’t been doing.”

After six seasons, Peaky Blinders reached its bloodcurdling finish on TV in 2022 and had used the West Midlands backdrop for many locations, such as the Black Country Living Museum in Dudley.

And, while the announcement of the movie has delighted fans, the drama has also inspired walking tours, countless street murals, themed pubs, and even a dance adaptation for the stage.

In the coming months and years, Digbeth Loc studios will be taking on trainees covering casting, location securing, set sourcing and working with talent.

Meanwhile, Birmingham’s next generation has already been celebrated by Reel Brum, a network and creative hub for filmmakers of all levels in the city.

There has been access to festivals and training schemes but Cassie Smyth, of Reel Brum/Birmingham Young Film Network, says it is still hard for newcomers to break through, especially if they don’t want to leave the region.

“[People are] getting a lot of experience, but what they’re yearning for is to be able to stay in their own beds and work where they are,” she says.

“So we’ve got…. electricians, make-up artists, you name it, they’re all here and they’re all really hungry for work.”

Jemma Saunders, from the Department of Film and Creative Writing at the University of Birmingham, says Peaky Blinders “does have a really positive impact, but obviously it’s only the start”.

“There’s something of a kind of Peaky effect that people have talked about, where it’s maybe encouraging more productions to come and start making things in Birmingham,” she said.

“[But] we have lost some production here as well, especially with the axing of [BBC daytime medical drama] Doctors.

“But then again, we do have MasterChef coming, so that’s really encouraging as well.”